Pilot Travel Centers on Tuesday said it has inked a deal with Tesla to integrate Semi chargers into 20 sites across its sprawling fueling network, aiming to solve one of the biggest hurdles for electric freight: infrastructure.
The rollout focuses on high-traffic corridors, including I-5 and I-10, stretching across five key states: California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
Pilot has more than 900 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces, serving an average of 1.2 million guests per day. A Pilot spokesperson told CCJ that the Tesla Semi chargers will be strategically located at travel centers "where we have the greatest opportunity to serve the busiest travel and shipping corridors in the country," adding they will also be in locations "where we know we can deliver the desired service through our work and great relationships with the local utilities."
Tesla maintains that it plans to ramp production of its electric Class 8 in the coming months, and construction on the Pilot-based charging network is set to begin in the first half of this year. The first wave of stations is expected to go live by summer.
Each selected Pilot location will host between four and eight charging stalls that utilize Tesla’s V4 cabinet technology, pumping out 1.2 megawatts of power per stall. In a video posted to the battery-electric Semi’s X account earlier this month, Tesla showcased the truck charging at 1.2 megawatts.
One of the most compelling aspects of the Tesla Semi is its claim to recover the majority of its reported 500-mile range in just 30 minutes, making topping off a truck's battery during a mandated break period feasible.
Pilot is no stranger to the EV infrastructure buildout, having installed passenger car fast chargers at more than 200 locations across nearly 40 states in partnership with General Motors and EVgo—a network that includes more than 875 EV fast-charging stalls.
"Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings," said Shannon Sturgil, senior vice president of alternative fuels at Pilot, "and we’re happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly.”
The network will initially cater exclusively to Tesla Semi trucks, but Pilot noted the infrastructure may eventually be updated to support heavy-duty electric trucks from other manufacturers as the market matures.
Fuel diversification
Pilot, in collaboration with PepsiCo and ADM, last year installed the country’s first B99 biodiesel retail offering for commercial fleets at its travel center in Decatur, Illinois. In 2022, Pilot announced that it was deploying a new compressed natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen delivery platform in a partnership with VoltaGrid LLC.
